Tree Sap
by Sean Ember
Summary: When Steven discovers a strange object, it flings the gems into chaos.
1. Chapter 1: The Recovery (Steven)

The beach was quiet, it usually was, since it was outside the Crystal Temple, which people seldom visit. You can't blame them, the gems aren't human, and due to human nature they aren't accepted.

Now since the beach is seldom visited, all the amazing items washed up by the ocean remain, until a certain gem digs them up.

Steven was walking around the beach looking for items of interest. He noticed a rather large golden colored item lying in the sand. He picks it up out of curiosity "Hmm." He inspects it "This looks cool, maybe the others will thinks so too!"

Steven rushed inside. "Hey Guys check out what I found!" He shouts holding up the gem. Pearl glanced at Steven "Not now Stev-" She froze. "Steven. Where exactly did you find that?" Steven shrugged "It was just lying around in the sand."

Garnet, who was talking with Pearl when Steven walked in, put a hand on Pearl's shoulder. "We can't be sure, it has been centuries." Pearl snatched the gem out of Stevens hand, she examined it closely.

She sighed "You're right Garnet, it's been so long, the gem has probably been destroyed." She sets the small piece of amber on the counter.

Steven watched this scene confused, he had absolutely no idea what they were talking about or what made Pearl act like that. The gems soon left for a mission, Steven, as always, stayed behind.

He walked into the kitchen to grab a snack and noticed the piece of amber. He picked it up and chuckled "Sorry little guy, looks like they didn't like you as much as I do."

The gem felt warm in his hands, he soon became aware it was getting warmer. He set it down not wanting to test how warm it was going to get. He stared at the gem for what seemed like hours, before walking back to the TV.

Several hours passed, eventually the gems returned. Steven jumped up. "Did you guys get me anything?" He asked excited.

Amethyst smiled "Of course we did." Amethyst tossed him a small leather bag. It was empty, much to Steven's disappointment, he then looked over at the piece of amber.

Smiling, he dropped the amber in the leather bag and tied it up. "We're going to be best friends from now on, my names Steven. What's yours?"

As expected, no response came from the leather bag. "The silent type eh? I'm ok with that." He pocketed the leather bag, then sat on the couch.

Night soon fell, Steven set the bag next to his bed. "Goodnight best friend." He said through a half yawn. He rolled over and quickly drifted off to sleep.

The gems awoke to a loud cry. The rushed out. "STEVEN!" Pearl yelled drawing her weapon. "Its gone!" Cried Steven, tears streaming down his cheeks.

He held up the leather bag, it was empty.


	2. Chapter 2: Memories (Steven)

Pearl sat next to Steven on the couch, she put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "Now Steven, it could have just fallen out..." Steven looked up to her, tears in his eyes.

Pearl sighed. "We have to go on a mission soon, want to come with us?" She said smiling lightly. "OK..." Steven said getting off the couch. They walked on to the warp pad.

They landed, but not where they wanted to. They appeared in a pine forest. "This, This isn't right." Pearl says looking around. "We shouldn't be..Here...". Steven looks around "Cool! What is this place?" Pearl "It was an, old friend's, sanctuary." Steven looks at her confused. "An old friend? Was your friend another gem!" Pearl bit her lip. "We don't talk about it anymore."

They decided to go for a walk through the forest. The time seemed to be late afternoon, sometime in fall, as a chilly breeze came blowing through. Steven shivered. Pearl felt a sense of dread, walking through this forest which once belonged to her dear friend.

Pearl stopped, putting out an arm to stop Steven. "Something isn't right." She had a point, the forest was silent, that unnatural silent. The silence of hiding, because when you don't want to be seen, you don't want to be heard. Something, made the forest silent, and Pearl didn't want to find out what.

Pearl grabbed Steven by the arm and started running back to the warp pad. "What's wrong?" asked Steven confused. "We are not alone, be prepared to leave without me if you have to."

While running, Steven hit his foot on something hard. He looked down to see his lost friend. He stopped and leaned down the pick up the large gem. A bone chilling roar is heard from behind him. He pockets the gem and turns around to be only a few feet from a large beast, it was like a cross between a wolf, bear, Elephant and, Tiger. Its pelt was a cream white, four large curved tusk protruded from the corners of its mouth.

It charged at Steven. Due to stopping to pick up the gem, Pearl was to far away to help Steven. "STEVEN!" Pearl tried to run, but she wasn't fast enough.

Steven opened his eyes, expecting to see his doom. But instead he was face to face with the beast. The beast was frozen in a block of a material similar to the gem in Steven's pocket. He pulled it out. "Whoa, did you save me? Thanks man." He said patting the gem.

Pearl rushed up to Steven, she turned him around, frantically looking at him. "Are you ok? Did you get hurt?" She then looked up at the frozen creature. "What the?" She gasped. "Steven, let's go, Steven?" She looked around only to find him by one of the trees.

"Hey Pearl! Check this out, the trees are covered in Maple Syrup!" Steven licked the tree. He quickly pulled back and spit on the ground, wiping his tongue on his hands. "Gross! That stuff is disgusting!"

Pearl put her head in her hand. "Oh Steven, what am I going to do with you?" They walked back to the warp pad and went home. Steven jumped on the couch exhausted. "Boy that was one crazy adventure! Right friend?" He said bringing out the gem.

The gem gave off a light and warmth, illuminating the room slightly. Steven smiled "Ok then, see you tomorrow, this time don't run away though." Steven put the gem back in his pocket and drifted off into sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Dreams (Pearl)

Pearl woke up, or did she? She was in the forest again, but instead of a monster, in front of her stood another gem.

The Gem was roughly 7'ft tall, it's skin a pale yellow. Its hair was a rich golden color, and was loose down to its shoulders. Its eyes were a piercing yellow.

Pearl looked up. "You're supposed to be de-"The gem put a finger to her lips. "Pearl, my friend, this is just a dream. I wanted to say. A darkness is rising, and Steven has to face it alone. You can't help him, like I can't help you." It said, its voice deep and calm.

"What darkness! Steven's just a kid, he can't face anything on his own!" Pearl yelled. The gem sighed "Just believe, in Steven. Now it's time for you to wake up, he needs all the training he can get." The gem snapped its fingers and the pine forest faded.

Peal woke up drenched in sweat. She quickly got out of bed and ran into the main room. Garnet, Amethyst and, Steven were all having breakfast. "Oh hey pearl, you slept late." Steven said in between bites.

"Hey Steven, I was hoping we could do some training today." Pearl said rubbing the back of her neck. "Aw man, I wanted to go swimming." Pearl bit her lip "Now Steven, it's for your own good, what if you were attacked by a monster?"

Steven shrugged "But I'm safe along as I have you guys, It's not like you will just sit there and watch while a monster attacks me." Pearl remembered the forest, how useless she felt. If it wasn't for the monster being trapped in Amber. Pearl shook her head. Not that word it was just tree sap that trapped it, she assured herself, a drop just fell from the trees.

"Pearl." Garnets voice called, snapping her back to reality. "Y-Yes?" Pearl said nervously. "There's something wrong, tell us." Pearl chuckled nervously "Wrong? T-There's nothing wrong."

Amethyst rolled her eyes "Like we're supposed to believe there's nothing wrong when you can't say one sentence without stuttering?" Pearl walked over and grabbed Steven's hand. "Come on Steven let's go train."

Steven "But Pearl!" Pearl started walking, whether Steven would walk or not. Thankfully Steven did walk. "We can go swimming during breaks."

They trained vigorously, they came in at sunset, Steven was panting. He walked over and sat on the couch, looking into his leather bag. Pearl sighed and sat down next to him. "Pearl, it's gone again." Steven said looking at her, this time not crying. "Can we look for it in the forest?" "No." Said Pearl almost instantly.

She didn't want Steven in harm's way, even though she was already told he was in grave danger. "I'm going to my room, see you tomorrow Steven." She says getting up. "Goodnight." Steven calls back as she enters her room.

Pearl takes one step in her room before noticing something. The Amber was laying in the water. She reaches in and picks it up. "I think I know what you're up to, if you can hear me right now listen, I will not tolerate you throwing Steven into danger like you did earlier." Pearl stopped "Who am I kidding, it's not you, this could be just any piece of amber.

She put it down and decided to rest, this was the biggest mistake she made. She was back in the forest, a familiar voice called out. "Pearl, I want to keep Rose's kid safe, just like you. Now first when I found out Rose was gone I was slightly mad, but you know me, I don't kill, unless needed."

"This is just a dream, you're not real! Amber is dead! I saw Amber die with my own eyes! Piece by piece, sliced up and burned! And then they took the gem and cast it off into the ocean! Where it was probably cracked and destroyed!" She said, tears of anger and sadness streaming down her face.

Amber smiled "I'm only as real, as you make me, perhaps it is just any old piece of amber. Who knows? Looks like you don't. Now we better part ways before you over sleep again."

"You can't just leave! This is my dream!" Pearl yelled franticly, but amber snapped its fingers and everything went black. A small glow illuminated the darkness, Pearl walked up to find a large green hole, with green smoke coming out. Up from the hole rose a large claw made of rock, a loud roar was heard when nothing else could get out of the hole.

Pearl wanted to wake up, and eventually, she did.


	4. Chapter 4: Time

Pearl walked out of her room. It had been weeks since that dream happened. Pearl looked down at her hands, she was holding the gem.

"Pearl! Drop it!" Garnet said summoning her gauntlets. "But it's the only way!" Pearl said holding the gem close to her.

"You know how he can be, we don't want to take the risk." Pearl sighed "I guess this only leaves one option." She summons her spear.

A bright flash blinds the gems. The gems are transported into a rock filled desert. A large green hole is near them.

Pearl gasped. "N-No, we have to get Steven away from here!" The large rock arm reaches out of the hole, this time laughing, the beast hauls itself out. The rock golem has a single blue/black sphere in its chest.

The beast grabbed Steven. It used its other arms to knock the gems down. Pearl dropped the amber, not noticing it glow.

The gems were enveloped in rock cocoons. The beast held Steven up, opening its mouth. "Well, I guess this is it." Said Steven through tears.

"Well, Well I am very disappointed." A voice called from next to Pearl's cocoon. The gem from Pearl's dream was there, clad in heavy armor made of the same material that trapped the monster in the forest, amber.

"Come on buddy, let's dance." He touched the round piece of amber that was in his back. He drew a sword that looked like one side had been flattened too much.

He leapt, which looked weird since he was seven feet tall. He swung his Falchion, slicing the monster in half.

The gems broke out of their cocoons, only to see the gem holding Steven. "Oh hey guys, look I found a new friend, well bye." And with that he ran away with Steven

"Steven! We won't let him get away with this!" Pearl said. The gems then chased after them.

"Why are we running?" Steven asked confused. "Because I want to show you something they would not let you." He stops and puts a finger out, he traces a rectangle in the air.

A door appears and he opens it, stepping through with Steven. "Whoa." Steven says looking around, the dreary rocky wasteland is replaced with a luscious tropical forest. He sets Steven down, then sits down, panting.

"What's wrong?" Asked Steven. "Well we just opened a rift through time, and that takes a lot out of me." Steven stops, he looks around again. "Through time? are there dinosaurs!" Amber shrugs "Probably"

The door flings open, the gems rush in, weapons drawn. Steven waves "Hey guys!" They don't lower their weapons. "Steven, move away from him." says Pearl.

Amber opens another door. "This one will take you home, I don't know how much energy I have left, just leave me." He turns the handle and the door swings open, inside is the beach house.

Pearl snaps her spear in half "No! You're coming with us! You're the only one who can reverse time! You can save them!" Steven gasped "He can save those evil gems and make them like you guys again!"

Pearl looked to Steven "Yes, yes he can." Steven smiled and looked at Amber, thinking about his monster friend. "No, my days of turning back the clock are over. But I will do it one more time." He shoots a beam at Pearl, it hits her right in the gem.

Pearl falls over, glowing. A different gem gets up, she has light gray skin, a stormy gray dress, and ashy gray hair. Her gem, which was on her forehead, is a seashell.

Amber opens the door behind the gems. "Bye guys, hope you can get along with Nacre, the mother of Pearl." And with that, he jumps through the door. It vanishes.


End file.
